NOTICE – Citywide Land Use Group Meeting – Monday, January 22, 2018 – 7:00 to 9:00 pm – Room 2500 B, 1900 Building – 1900 SW Fourth Avenue

Hello in the new year.  We will begin our meetings next Monday night, January 22, 2018 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.  

Citywide Land Use Group will meet as always on the fourth Monday of the month in 2018.  This month’s meeting will begin by discussing what we want to happen in two very different but also connected areas which will frame most of the issues we deal with for the remainder of the year.

Discussion One:

First, the issue of city rules and guidelines for Historic Preservation efforts that may become part of the Comprehensive Plan implementation this year.  The process of identifying strategies and approaches is just beginning for the city.  It is too early in that process to identify what is being considered but it is not too early to suggest some broad areas that need to be discussed.

Our discussion this month will simply identify what you think some of those areas for consideration should be.

Discussion Two:

The second thing we will discuss is directly tied to the process being used by the city do conduct most community involvement.  For many of us there is a huge difference between participation and disclosure. In the following months we hope to discuss in much more detail the recent Council action about the use, makeup, and requirements for city advisory groups.  The ordinance that was passed by Council in late 2017 is now being reviewed by the City Attorney’s office to make sure its methodology is legally correct.  The thrust of the ordinance, however, will not change.  The intent is to make official Advisory Committees more transparent, avoid conflicts of interest, require reporting of differences among members if they exist, and generally provide more disclosure of what the committee is discussing.

Our discussion this month will begin to identify ways in which individual Neighborhood Associations and their participants can add value to the work of individual Advisory Committees when the subject they discuss will have specific impacts on a specific geographical area that might not be true for other areas of the city.

As always, Citywide Land Use Group depends on your comments, ideas, and participation.  Please join us.

Claire Carder, DRAC member and potential officer, will facilitate the meeting for us.

Lets start 2018 by establishing what we expect rather than react to try to change things that are already designed.  Lets add value to the work of others as change takes place.

Please join us.

Bonny McKnight

Coordinating Volunteer

Citywide Land Use Group